Sacrifice and Compromise: a Comparative Analysis in Literature and Film

In the short stories “Rules of the Game” by Amy Tan and “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant” by W. D. Wetherell, and in the movie Son of Rambow, the characters have to learn to compromise and make sacrifices occasionally to form and maintain relationships with others. In Amy Tan’s “Rules of the Game,” Meimei does not want to compromise and has a fight with her mother as a result. The narrator of “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant” by W. D. Wetherell releases a huge fish in order to retain a relationship with his crush. In the movie Son of Rambow, Will learns that he must make changes to his life to sustain his friendship with Lee.

Meimei's Struggle with Compromise

Meimei refuses to let her mother brag about her accomplishments in “Rules of the Game,” and as a result, she is shunned by her family. Mrs. Jong is proud of her daughter’s success in chess and takes her through the market showing her off. Meimei refuses to allow her mother this pleasure, and tells her that she is embarrassing her. Mrs. Jong becomes angry and with “her voice cracking with anger,” she asks, “Embarrass you be my daughter?” (Tan, 1989, p. 232). Mrs. Jong is angry that her daughter is unwilling to sacrifice some of her own pride for her mother’s pride. When Meimei finally returns home after being rude to her mother and then running away, the family does not want to talk to her because of how she has dishonored them. “We not concerning this girl,” says Mrs. Jong. “This girl not have concerning for us” (Tan, 1989, p. 233). Since Meimei is not willing to compromise for her mother, her mother does not want to have anything to do with her. From this experience, Meimei learns the importance of compromising to avoid hurting loved ones’ feelings. This situation reflects the challenges of balancing personal achievements with familial expectations.

The Narrator's Realization in "The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant"

In “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant,” the narrator learns that to have a relationship with certain girls, one needs to occasionally give up one’s own interests, but he also learns that making big sacrifices for girls is not always worth it. His two interests, fishing and his crush, Sheila Mant, are in conflict in the story. Sheila Mant expresses a strong disinterest in fishing when she tells him she thinks that “fishing’s dumb…it’s boring and all. Definitely dumb” (Wetherell, 1983, p. 170). From then on, the narrator compromises in order to keep Sheila interested in him; he hides his love of fishing from her. Eventually, he makes a huge sacrifice when he releases the fish that he caught, just to maintain his relationship with Shelia. However, although he hides his love for fishing well and seemingly holds Sheila’s interest, she eventually blows him off and the narrator realizes he compromised too much. He says, “There would be other Sheila Mants in my life, other fish, and though I came close once or twice, it was these secret hidden tuggings in the night that claimed me, and I never made the same mistake again” (Wetherell, 1983, p. 173). Looking back on the experience, the narrator decides that compromising for Sheila was not worth it. This story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of losing oneself in the pursuit of a relationship.

Will's Transformation in Son of Rambow

In the movie Son of Rambow, Will learns that to make and keep a new friend, he must make some changes and compromises to his previous life. Coming from a devoutly religious family, Will has to make many adaptations to be friends with Lee, a notorious troublemaker. Will compromises his values when he lies to his mother about meeting with Lee to make their movie. Also, inspired by Lee, Will steals groceries from the supermarket. He misses church and prayer meetings to hang out with Lee and work on the movie. His life changes so drastically, in fact, that the members of their cult, “The Brethren,” feel the need to talk to him about his sins and bring him to a series of church meetings. Will also compromises his physical wellbeing for the movie. He does all of his own stunts, and receives many bumps and bruises, and at one point almost drowns while being filmed. It is by altering his life and compromising that Will is able to remain friends with Lee. This film highlights the transformative power of friendship and the lengths one might go to in order to fit in and be accepted.

Conclusion: The Balancing Act of Relationships

These three characters all learn about the need to compromise to form and continue relationships, and how relationships can fall apart when one only focuses on one’s own interests. Meimei does not humor her mother, and as a result, her family shuns her. The narrator of “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant” learns that to win over girls, sometimes one has to disregard one’s own hobbies and interests. Will has to change his values and risk his physical health to become friends with Lee. However, if we constantly have to compromise many of our own interests and wishes for a relationship, is that relationship worth having? The stories and film collectively pose this critical question, challenging us to evaluate the true cost of the sacrifices we make in our personal lives.

References:

• Tan, A. (1989). Rules of the Game. In The Joy Luck Club. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons.
• Wetherell, W. D. (1983). The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant. In A Sense of Wonder. New York: Bantam Books.